


Once Upon a Dream

by whoyoudoingitfor



Category: One Direction
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Fluff, M/M, Romance, eleanor is is in this but she's evil and if you've watched sleeping beauty you know what happens, sleeping beauty!AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-05
Updated: 2013-12-05
Packaged: 2018-01-03 14:14:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1071409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whoyoudoingitfor/pseuds/whoyoudoingitfor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A evil curse was put on a young prince and three fairies took him away for his own safety. On his birthday eighteen years later, he finds out his true identity, and maybe finds the man of his dreams.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Once Upon a Dream

**Author's Note:**

> Oh god. This is the first fic I've written in a suuuuuper long time but I got inspired when I watched Sleeping Beauty and I figured to give a little go at it. It's pretty close to the film and I have no idea what the dress code would've been like 6 centuries ago. But bear with me and enjoy (:  
> To my sadness and disappointment, I do not own One Direction or Disney's Sleeping Beauty except for on VHS.

Once upon a time, in the land of Cheshire, lived King Robin and Queen Anne. For many years, they (and even their kingdom) have longed for a child of their own, to hear little feet running up and down the castle hallways, to roam the villages and say hello to the people, to someday take over the throne. One day, their wish was fulfilled and they welcomed a beautiful, healthy baby boy: Harry.  
  
Months flew by, the new prince growing rapidly, and Queen Anne suggested that they should have a christening. King Robin had announced it, inviting the whole kingdom, and everyone was thrilled.  
  
It was a joyous day. People dressed in their nicest attire, balloons and banners were everywhere around the castle, and everyone gathered in the main room where the king and queen were seated on their thrones and Prince Harry sound asleep in his bassinet.  
  
Horns echoed throughout the room, silencing everyone, as the announcer read off the scroll, “Welcoming their royal highnesses, Queen Johannah and Prince Louis of Doncaster.”  
  
Queen Anne quickly got off her seat and rushed to hug Queen Johannah. They’ve been close friends for quite a few years and while Anne was pregnant with Harry, they’ve been in discussion of uniting their kingdoms. They’ve come to the result of Louis, Johannah’s only son and heir, and Harry to be betrothed. Louis had just turned three so he really has no idea what’s going on. He just knows that mummy’s friend has a baby who will hopefully be friends with him someday.  
“Do you want to meet Harry, Louis?” Queen Anne had asked and Louis quietly nodded.  
  
When they were walking over to the bassinet, he then remembered that he was holding a gift for the new prince. He stretched out his arms to Anne and whispered, “For Harreh.”  
  
“Oh, sweetie,” Anne smiled brightly as she accepted the golden box that was handed to her, “I’m sure Harry will appreciate it. Thank you.”  
  
Of course, since he was small, Anne lifted Louis up so he could look and see the sleeping prince, wrapped in a very soft white blanket with the letters HS sewn along the edge.  
  
“What do you think?” Anne asked softly.  
  
Louis shrugged his shoulders. “He’s little.”  
  
Anne laughed, “Yes, sweetie, he’s very little. You were that small when you were a couple months old, too.”  
  
“Liar. I’m a big boy.”  
  
Anne rolled her eyes as she set Louis down and brought him back to his mother. “He’s still a bit stubborn, isn’t he?”  
  
“Probably always will be,” Johannah replied with a chuckle. She grabbed Louis’ hand as they went to find a seat.  
  
The horns were heard again and then three young men appeared right in the middle of the room. Not walked in. Appeared.  
  
“The most honored and wonderful excellences, the three good fairies: Liam Payne, Niall Horan, and Zayn Malik,” the announcer introduced.  
  
The three walked over, with hints of sparkling dust falling off of them from their arrival, to the king and queen and bowed.  
  
“Welcome,” King Robin said.  
  
Liam, the head fairy, stepped forward. “Your majesty, each of us have our own special gift for the child. We would like to present them now if that’s alright.”  
King Robin laid a hand on Liam’s shoulder and gestured them towards his son. “Be my guest.”  
  
Each fairy would have their turn with Harry, sprinkling magical fairy dust over the bassinet. Liam had granted the gift of beauty and kindness while Niall granted the gift of music and song.  
  
As Zayn walked over for his turn, the lights in the castle went out and the giant doors busted open. Storm clouds were heard and blackness took over as everyone screamed and panicked.  
  
“This was not my gift!” Zayn yelled over the storm to his fairy brothers.  
  
Just then, a lightning bolt struck the floor and green smoke took its place. As the smoke cleared out, a woman, brown hair pulled tight into a bun, dressed in a black and purple cloak and holding a green cane, appeared. Her makeup was dark and she had purple lips and she looked very sinister.  
  
Niall gasped, “It’s her! It’s Eleanor!”  
  
Zayn’s face turned into a scowl. “What the hell does she want?”  
  
A sly smile grew across Eleanor’s face as she approached the king and queen. “Well, quite a party you have going on here, King Robin.” She turned and looked around as if observing the guests. “You have the royalty, nobility, the gentry, and,” she listed with a chuckle, “even the rebel.”  
  
That clearly sent Zayn off since he got up as if to attack her, but Liam grabbed hold off his shirt to hold him back.  
Eleanor turned back to the king. “I have to be honest, I was quite upset when I didn’t receive an invitation.”  
  
The king opened his mouth but Zayn took charge instead. “You weren’t wanted!”  
  
Eleanor’s eyes grew in surprise, but then she smiled. “Oh dear. Well, this is awkward. I had hoped that maybe it was just lost,” she sighed, “I guess I better be on my way then.”  
  
“So you’re not offended, your Excellency?” Queen Anne asked with a worried tone. She was always so sweet and caring no matter who the person was.  
  
Eleanor brought her hand to her heart. “Why no, your Majesty,” she said softly. “To show that I have no grudge, I too have a gift for the young prince.”  
  
As she said that, the three fairies quickly went to Harry’s bassinet in protection.  
  
Eleanor had an evil smirk on her face as she announced loud and clear, “Listen well. All of you! The prince will grow in grace, kindness, and beauty. Be loved by all who know him. But,” she brought her cane closer to her and she waved her hand around the glass orb at the top of it, filling it up with green mist, “before the sun sets on his eighteenth birthday, he shall prick his finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die!”  
  
Queen Anne ran over to her son, as if she could save him from this curse, while King Robin told the guards to seize the evil witch. But it was too late. Eleanor was gone, her evil laugh echoing throughout the room, and Queen Anne was nearing tears at the thought of her son having a death curse on him.  
  
Liam stepped forward, breaking the silence. “Don’t be too worried, your Highness. Zayn still has his gift to give.”  
  
Fairies. The ever optimistic.  
  
“He can’t undo this awful curse?” King Robin asked.  
  
Zayn looked down, very apologetic. “No, sir. Eleanor’s far more powerful than I am.”  
  
“But he can help make things a bit better,” Niall said. He put an arm around Zayn as he guided him to the prince who was still in Anne’s arms. “Just do your best, love.”  
  
Zayn gulped. He only knows one thing that could break something so evil but he’s never tried it. He’s only read it in their books back when they had to study in fairy school. But it’s now or never and never would lead to an awful outcome. “Okay,” he said with a breath. “Sweet prince, if this wicked witch’s curse is true and the spindle your finger should prick, there is hope. There will not be death, but just sleep. From this slumber you will awaken with true love’s kiss and the spell will break.” And with that, he sprinkled the blue fairy dust over the baby and gave a sigh of relief.  
  
Anne hugged him with one arm and whispered a thank you.  
  
A thank you for trying.  
  
A thank you for doing something so nice.  
  
A thank you for giving her hope that if something happens to her son, he’ll be okay in the end.  
  
For true love conquers all.  
  
However, King Robin was still fearful for his only child’s life. Right there he had announced that every spinning wheel in the kingdom was to be found and burned, and so was done. A big fire was held outside of the castle that night as everyone brought in their wheels.  
  
~  
  
Inside the castle, Liam was pacing back and forth, turning as red as his clothing.  
  
“Liam, you know pacing does nothing,” Niall said. “Come over and have a cup of tea. I’m sure it’ll all work out.”  
  
Fairies were already calm and optimistic about things but Niall was over the top. He’s always been a happy and loving fairy.  
  
Zayn, however, was not so optimistic. “Well, a bonfire won’t stop Eleanor.”  
  
“Of course not!” Liam said, accepting a cup of tea from Niall. “But what will?”  
  
“Maybe if we reason with her-“  
  
“Reason with Eleanor?! Are you mad?” accused Zayn.  
  
“She can’t be all bad!” Niall defended.  
  
Liam and Zayn both looked at Niall as if he grew two heads. Niall’s definitely gone mad. His positivity has taken over. He’s not even a fairy. He could be a fucking leprechaun for all Liam and Zayn know right now. They’re usually happier than fairies. But of course they’re just a myth.  
  
Zayn just rolled his eyes and just got more frustrated. “God I would like to turn into the grimy old toad that she is.” Zayn’s obviously a lot more open about his distaste for the wicked witch than the other fairies. He’d rather put an arrow through his head than socialize with her.  
  
“Now, Zayn, that’s not very nice,” Liam said, “besides, our magic doesn’t work like that.” He mumbled the last part in disappointment.  
  
“We can only do good to bring joy and happiness,” Niall explained as he poofed himself a cookie.  
  
“Well, it  _would_  make me happy,” replied Zayn.  
  
Liam sat down and he put his head in his hands. “There has to be something!”  
  
Zayn jumped and sat on a cup handle. “What won’t she expect? She knows  _everything_.”  
  
Niall sat beside him. “That’s not entirely true, Zaynie. Eleanor doesn’t know anything about love, compassion, or kindness. Sometimes I don’t think she’s very happy. Maybe if she got herself a man-“  
  
“That’s it!”  
  
_Here we go,_  Zayn thinks.  
  
Liam looked like a madman at this point. His eyes were wide and he had a huge smile on his face. “That’s brilliant! That’s the only thing she can’t understand and won’t expect!” Zayn and Niall looked at each other as Liam mumbled to himself. “Plan it carefully… Yes… Forest… The old deserted cottage… Of course the king and queen will object… But if we explain it’s the only way-“  
  
“God, Liam, explain what?” Zayn asked, exasperated.  
  
“About the three peasant men raising a child deep in the forest.”  
  
“Well that’s very nice of them,” Niall smiled.  
  
“Who are they?”  
  
“Turn around,” Liam instructed them and he got out his wand again. In a flash of dust, the clothes Zayn and Niall were wearing now turned into old, ragged pants and slightly ripped shirts. They looked at their reflections in a plate and jumped when they saw the result.  
  
“It’s us!” Niall exclaimed. He turned around and saw that Liam had changed too.  
  
“We? Us?” Zayn asked with more confusion.  
  
“We’re going to take care of the prince?” Niall asked with excitement and he grabbed hold of Liam’s hands. “I’d love that!”  
  
“Do you really think we can do this, Liam?”  
  
“If humans can do it, why can’t we?” Liam asked as he turned to leave.  
  
Zayn shrugged and then looked at his wand. “Well at least we’d have magic to help us.”  
  
Liam stopped in his tracks. Crap, he didn’t think about magic. This won’t do. “No! No magic!” He went to grab Zayn and Niall’s wands. “Get rid of the wings too.”  
  
Zayn stiffened and held onto his wand tighter. “So… we’re going to live like mortals?” he asked in disgust. “For eighteen years?”  
  
“Yup.” Liam tapped Zayn’s wings and they disappeared. He went to grab the wand but Zayn backed away from him.  
  
“But Li, we don’t know how! We’ve never done anything without magic!”  
  
“That’s why Eleanor will never suspect it!”  
  
Zayn hid behind Niall. “But who will wash the dishes? And cook? And clean?”  
  
“We’ll all pitch in. Give me the wand, Zayn.”  
  
Zayn tapped Liam’s wings quickly and finally handed over his wand with a pout. “Now,” Liam said as he headed towards the door, “let’s tell our majesties the plan.”  
  
~  
  
“You want to what?!” The used to be fairies sunk back into their seats while the king yelled. “You want to take my son away?”  
  
“Robin, please,” Anne pleaded softly, bringing a hand up to rub at his shoulder.  
  
“This is the best you could come up with? There’s no other way?”  
  
“This is the only safest thing we could come up with, your Highness,” Liam explained. “As long as Harry’s not in the castle or anywhere in the village, she won’t harm him.”  
  
Niall jumped in. “And we’re not using our magic so there won’t be any trace of us either.”  
  
Silence.  
  
Contemplation.  
  
Understanding.  
  
Hurt.  
  
The last two emotions ran through Robin and Anne as they watched from their bedroom window the three fairies and their only child leave the castle and disappear into the dark night.  
  
~  
  
Many miserable years slowly went by for King Robin, Queen Anne, and the people of Cheshire. Suggestions were thrown to the royals that they should have another baby to pass the time and help the loneliness, but the king and queen said no. It wouldn’t be the same.  
  
Finally, the prince’s eighteenth birthday was drawing near and the kingdom was starting to become whole again. But in the back of their minds, they remembered that the evil Eleanor still lived in the Forbidden Mountains and her evil prophecy had not been fulfilled.  
  
Thunder rumbled in the mountains showing her frustration and anger growing by the minute.  
  
Eleanor paced back and forth in her stony castle and her guards watched her in fear. “It’s incredible! Eighteen  _fucking_  years and not a trace of him! He couldn’t have vanished into thin air!” She got into one of the guards’ faces and asked, “are you sure you’ve looked everywhere?”  
  
The guards quickly nodded and exclaimed with nervous yes’s.  
  
“What about the towns? Forests? Mountains?” Eleanor listed.  
  
“Yes, ma’am,” a guard said, “we, uh, searched mountains, forests, and um, houses, and all the cradles!”  
  
Eleanor paused. “Cradle?”  
  
“Every cradle, ma’am!”  
  
“Cradle!” Eleanor said through her teeth. She turned to a crow, her new pet. “Did you hear that, love? All these years they’ve been looking for a  _baby_. You _idiots!_  Imbeciles!” She pointed her cane at them, sending shocks of lightning at them.  
  
As soon as she scared her guards away, she sighed and sat down. She couldn’t believe this. A baby they were still looking for. A baby! “It’s time to get new guards,” she said to herself. “They’re hopeless. A disgrace.” The crow flew on top of her cane and she gently pet his head. “My pet. You’re my last hope. Circle far and wide. Search for a man of eighteen with hair as brown as chestnut and lips red as a rose. Do not fail me.” The bird climbed onto her finger and she lifted it up to fly away.  
  
_I don’t know what I’ll do if he comes back with nothing._  
  
~  
  
Meanwhile, deep in the woods was a cottage. Small but a good size. It was off-white with brown window shutters, a water wheel at the side, a beautiful garden in the front, a nice little chimney. The three fairies had stayed true to their word living like humans and raising the prince as their own. For safety, they called him Edward.  
“Edward” had grown up into a beautiful young man. He had messy brown curls that always got into his face, forest green eyes, and was very lean. He’s a bit clumsy but that’s because his legs go for miles and his feet are big enough to trip over. Sewing clothes for him was very difficult because by the time he hit his teen years, he wouldn’t stop growing. His shirt would always be too small or his pants would start to show his ankles.  
  
Even though Liam, Zayn, and Niall are the only people he’s ever known, he’s nothing but kind, polite and has impeccable manners. He always offers to help Liam with the washing up, or Zayn with the laundry, and he always cooks. Just recently, he’s gone out and picked fruit from the forest. He doesn’t quite understand why they’ve just  _now_  let him out of the house or even let him walk alone. He guesses they’ve probably accepted that he’s an adult now. It took them long enough.  
  
Now that it’s his eighteenth birthday, the fairies were planning a little party and an extra special surprise.  
  
“Well, how about this one?”  
  
“Oh, he’d look handsome in that!”  
  
“Make a few changes here-“  
  
“Yes!”  
  
“How do we get him out of the house?”  
  
“I’ll think of something!”  
  
A cough interrupted their discussion and the three men jumped and quickly covered the book they were looking at.  
  
“Good morning, Edward!” Niall greeted.  
  
“And just what are you three up to?” Edward asked.  
  
“U-up to?” Liam stuttered. “Um, we were just… discussing… that, uh…”  
  
Zayn looked around and he saw the basket on the table. Basket! Aha! “We uh... want you to go pick some apples!”  
  
“Yes! Apples!” Liam jumped up and went to grab Edward a cloak complete with a hood, just in case.  
  
“Apples?”  
  
“Lots of apples!”  
  
“But I went apple picking yesterday?” Edward tried to explain himself as they pushed him towards the door.  
  
“We need more, love!” Niall exclaimed. “Now, don’t hurry back!”  
  
“And don’t go too far!”  
  
“Don’t speak to strangers!”  
  
They said their nervous goodbyes as Edward shook his head with a smile and walked on into the forest.  
  
“Do you think he’s suspicious?” Zayn asked.  
  
They all looked at each other, looked to where Edward was, then back again. “Nah.”  
  
Liam clapped his hands, “Time to get to works, lads!” He was so sure Edward would love his surprise when everything was done.  
  
~  
  
Edward has always loved singing. According to the lads, he’s been singing since he could talk; and not to pat himself on the back, he’s quite good. He can make his voice to very low and husky and then raise it to hit the highest note. It just comes naturally to him. He loves walking in the forest, hearing his voice echo throughout, and sometimes birds will tweet their own little tune back to him.  
  
One of Edward’s favorite spots to pick apples was just overlooking the kingdom of Cheshire. Sometimes he would climb onto a branch and just sit and watch the castle of King Robin and Queen Anne. Even from a distance, the castle looked very big and open. Edward just sighs as he goes back to picking apples. He’s never been to the castle… Or anywhere really.  
  
Why do they still treat him like a child?  
  
He wants to meet people; people that don’t look like Liam, Niall and Zayn, but they don’t want him to meet anyone.  _Pretty selfish_ , Edward thinks.  
But there is this  _man._ Edward’s been having weird dreams lately. He’ll be alone, just like he is now, in the forest and he’ll feel kisses pressed to his cheek and neck. They’ll sing together. They’ll dance together. They’ll hold each other and it all seems so perfect… if only Edward would just get a face of the person he’s with; all it is right now is black. The most Edward could tell you is that the man is tall (but not as tall as he is) and he’s very muscular but not too many muscles, and has an arse to die for.  
  
_Well, the old saying is that if you dream of something more than once, it’s sure to come true_ , Edward hopes.  
  
He starts walking towards a little river and he starts singing again. He gently sets down his basket of apples, takes his shoes off and slowly puts his feet in the cool water. It’s a bit relaxing.  
  
The lads are up to something. After all, it is his birthday and they’ve been acting so  _strange._ They’ve never really celebrated his birthday before so he doesn’t really understand why they’re celebrating now. He shrugs it off; it’s probably all in his head.  
  
Everything seems to be just in his head.  
  
“Excuse me?”  
  
Okay,  _that_  wasn’t in his head.  
  
Edward turns and he jumps when he sees a man standing there. A man dressed in light trousers, nice boots, a silk shirt, and has a red cloak draped over his arm. He’s very tan, has a jawline that could cut glass and scruff all around it, piercing blue eyes, and brown hair that makes him look like he just woke up and rolled out of bed.  
  
He’s beautiful.  
  
Edward doesn’t say anything, just stays in his place, frightened like a deer.  
  
“Were you the one singing?” the man asks. His voice is a bit high and raspy.  
  
_Honey_ , Edward thinks. The little drop of honey he puts in his morning cup of tea. That’s what this man’s voice is like.  
He’s coming closer and Edward should be scared and probably should turn and go to the cottage, but he’s not. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. Clearly I did if you’re not saying anything…”  
  
“Oh!” Edward blinks. “It’s… not that,” he clears his throat, “it’s just that I don’t… you’re a…”  
  
“A stranger?”  
  
Edwards nods and looks down at his hands.  
  
“Well, let’s not be strangers,” the man says and takes a seat down next to Edward. “Why are you here in the forest?”  
  
“I-I was picking apples for the men I live with,” Edward explained but then realized that sounded horribly wrong. “I mean, erm, these men raised me, sooo…”  
  
A smile pulls up into one of the corners of the man’s lips, “I get it.”  
  
It was silent for a few moments as Edward observed carefully at the man next to him. His thighs are thick and he has small hands. His nails are bitten to the nub. He can see little tuffs of chest hair at the dip of his shirt.  
  
This makes Edward more nervous.  
  
“How long have you’ve been here?” the man asks.  
  
“All my life,” Edward responds, a bit shaky. “It’s my birthday today, as well.”  
  
“Oh! Happy birthday then.”  
  
“Thank you. Eighteen.”  
  
“Twenty-one.”  
  
“Oooh, that’s pretty old,” Edward teases with a smile.  
  
The man scoffs. “Yeah, almost broke my back riding my horse the other day.”  
  
“You have a horse?”  
  
“Yeah, name’s Max. He’s o’er there,” he pointed back.  
  
Edward twisted his body to see a beautiful white horse with a mane as dark as night nibbling at the grass. He’s never seen a horse this close before, or even seen one for the matter. He turns towards his basket of apples because he’s read in books that they’re one of the things horses love to eat. “May I?”  
  
“Yeah, go ahead,” the man says with a smile. “He won’t bite you or anything. It’ll feel weird though when he takes it.”  
Edward slowly goes towards Max and he’s even more beautiful up close. His mane looks very smooth and shiny and he can see that there’s a little braid. “Did you do that?”  
  
“Ah, no. One of my little sisters did that,” Pretty Man answers, “they say he makes good practice.”  
  
“You have sisters?”  
  
“Four of them,” he says with a roll of his eyes. “They’re incredibly annoying.”  
  
“I wish I had siblings,” Edward says. He turns his attention back to the horse and grabs one of the apples from his basket.  _Lay your hand out flat_ , he remembers. Max sniffs around and finally takes it out of his hand, his mouth tickling Edward’s palm. “That did feel weird!”  
  
“I told ya,” the man said, climbing onto Max’s back. “Say… do you want to go for a ride?”  
  
Edward blinks. “I-I’m not sure…”  
  
“It’s perfectly safe. You just need to hang on to me.” He held his hand out and Edward stared at it, unsure what to do. He’s not even supposed to be speaking to this man. “Do you trust me?”  
  
Oddly he does.  
  
~  
  
The ride was the most freeing thing Edward’s ever done in his life. The wind in his hair, the pretty man’s heat against him; it was wonderful and exciting.  
Ever since this man appeared, Edward’s stomach has been in knots and he has no idea what it means. He’s read about these feelings but he’s never felt them. He’d definitely infatuated and he thinks, he  _thinks_  this is the man that’s been in his dreams.  
  
They’re sat at Harry’s favorite spot, looking down at the castle, the afternoon sun turning into a dusky orange as it starts growing later.  
  
“It’s very beautiful,” he says.  
  
“Have you ever been to the castle?” the man asks. He leans back a bit on his hands, his fingertips just centimeters away from touching Edward’s and he can actually feel the tingly spark coming off of them.  
  
Edward shakes his head no and asks if he’s ever been.  
  
“Yeah,” he admits. “My mum is good friends with the Queen so we visit every now and then.”  
  
“What?” Edward’s shocked. This man knows the Queen?!  
  
“My mum’s the Queen of Doncaster-“  
  
“Queen? So that means you’re... You’re-“  
  
“A prince?”  
  
Edward opened and closed his mouth. This whole time he’s been talking to a prince! Royalty! He’s just a peasant boy! Should he even be in this man’s presence?  
  
“Does this change anything?” the man asks, with this weird look in his eye. Sadness? Guilt?  
  
“Well… no, I- I guess not.”  
  
The man looked relieved. “Good because I really had fun with you today.”  
  
Edward turned and looked at the man who turned out to already be staring at him. God, his eyes are as blue as the sky above them. The more Edward looks at them, he can see very subtle specks of a hazel green around the pupils. “You’re very beautiful.” He doesn’t recall his mouth saying those words, but they’re out there and the man blushes.  
  
The man scooches closer (if that’s possible) to Edward, their hands overlapping and their foreheads pressed against each other. Edward’s pretty sure he could have an attack by how fast his heart is beating right now. He then feels lips pressed against his temple, his cheek, his jaw, and his neck; just like in his dreams. He can’t even control his breathing right now.  
  
“What’s your name?” the man whispers against his collarbone.  
  
Edward lets out a shaky breath. “My name…” another kiss, “my name is… it’s…”  
  
_Don’t talk to strangers!_  
  
Then he remembers.  
  
He gently pushes the man away and shakes his head. “I can’t! I’m sorry!” The man looks at him with confusion as Edward climbs off of the branch and hurriedly grabs his things, “Goodbye!”  
  
“What!” The man asks. “When will I see you again?”  
  
“Never!”  
  
“Never?”  
  
Edward pauses. He doesn’t want it to be never. “Maybe someday.”  
  
Pretty Man hops down from the branch. “Tomorrow?” he looks hopeful.  
  
_Every tomorrow for the rest of my life._  “How about this evening?”  
  
“Where?”  
  
“At the old cottage! Don’t be late!” He breaks out into a run and doesn’t look back.  
  
~  
  
“This. Is. Hopeless!”  
  
The fairies’ plans for Edward’s birthday didn’t exactly go the way they planned it. They had assigned themselves different jobs: Niall was in charge of making the cake and Liam was making an outfit fit for a prince, using Zayn as the dummy.  
  
However, they’re not the best bakers or sewers. Zayn had suggested they use their wands but of course, Liam shot it down. So now, the cake Niall had “baked” wasn’t in the oven for long so it’s still pretty liquid-y, he’s already layering it and frosting it and it’s just making a huge mess. Liam’s outfit looked like a blind person made it and Zayn just crossed his arms the whole time and he was about to blow.  
  
“Maybe if I give the sleeves a bit of a ruffle at the end-“  
  
“No, Liam! Don’t even do anything! I’ve had enough of this nonsense! You can’t sew and the cake isn’t even a cake! It’s chocolate soup!” He ripped off the outfit and headed up the stairs.  
  
“And just where are you going?” Liam demanded.  
  
“I’m going with my plan and getting those wands, damn it!”  
  
“I think he’s right, ya know,” Niall admitted and Liam nodded.  
  
“He is. We’re useless without magic,” Liam mumbled. “Niall, go lock the doors, windows, and draw the curtains. Any source where our magic could get out. We can’t take  
any chances.”  
  
Zayn came back and handed Liam the wands with a smug smile on his face. “This is why  _I_  should be leader fairy.”  
  
“Shut up. Niall, take care of the cake. Zayn, clean the room. I’ll fix the outfit. Hurry!”  
  
~  
  
“Liam! Niall! Zayn!” Edward called as he approached the cottage. He was still completely buzzing over the fact that he met someone today and he was a prince! He was wonderful, and sweet, and his lips were so soft; Edward can still feel them all over. He couldn’t  _wait_  to tell the lads about it.  
He called their names again as he entered the house but there was no response. “Guys?” Nothing. “Is anyone home?” He walked into the main room and gasped. On the table was a huge cake with white and blue frosting complete with lit candles. Draped over a chair was a gorgeous black silk shirt with white hearts sewn all over and a black coat and trousers to match.  
  
“Surprise!”  
  
The lads are all there and Edward’s so happy he could cry. He gives them all a hug and a thank you as they ask him if he likes the gift. “Of course I do! This is the happiest day of my life and everything’s so wonderful. Just wait until you meet him!”  
  
They all freeze. “Him?” Niall asks in shock.  
  
“You met… a stranger?” Liam sounds bewildered. How could Edward meet someone? He’s not supposed to!  
  
“Yes,” Edward started, “but I feel like he’s the one who’s been in the dreams I’ve told you about. I think this is it.”  
  
“Are you saying-“  
  
“Are you in love?”  
  
Edward blushes, “Possibly.”  
  
“Oh no, this is terrible,” Zayn whispers.  
  
“Why? After all, I am eighteen,” Edward questions. Why are they acting like this?  
  
“It isn’t that, love,” Liam explains. “It’s just that…”  
  
“Is it really time to tell him, Li?” Niall asks him dejectedly.  
  
“Tell me what?” Okay, now Edward’s starting to get worried and more confused than ever.  
  
“Edward, the truth is you’re already betrothed,” Niall explains in a sweet and caring tone.  
  
“Betrothed?”  
  
Zayn continues, “Since the day you were born to Prince Louis.”  
  
Prince? He only knows one prince, how could he marry another? How could he marry one anyway? Edward shakes his head. “No, that’s impossible. I can’t marry a prince! That means I have to be-“  
  
“A prince as well.”  
  
“And you are, Edward! You’re Prince Harry,” Liam admitted. He takes hold of the prince’s hands and looks at him apologetically, “and tonight we are to take you back to your father and mother, King Robin and Queen Anne.”  
  
Edward looks at Zayn and Niall and they’re looking down at their feet. This can’t be. “Have you all found that wine bottle or something? Have you all been drinking?” No answer. This can’t be true. He can’t be a  _prince_! He doesn’t know how to be royalty! He can’t leave either. “But- But I can’t go! He’s coming here tonight and I promised to meet him and-“  
  
“I’m sorry, love, but you will never see that young man again.”  
  
Edward backed away and shook his head frantically. He could feel hot tears producing and the last thing he wants is to let them see him cry, so he ran up the stairs to his room, his sobs echoing as he left.  
  
The fairies all stood there in shock, guilt, and apologetic. This was  _not_  how they thought his reaction would be.  
  
And little did they know that Harry hadn’t quite shut the door all the way and a black crow heard everything.

~

In the kingdom of Cheshire, Prince Louis rode in on Max and found his mother, Johannah, waiting for him at the steps of Anne’s castle.  
  
“Louis!”  
  
He pulled Max into a halt and hopped off. “Hello, mother.”  
  
“Why aren’t you dressed? You can’t meet your future husband dressed like that!” She pointed to his attire.  
  
“But I have met him, Mum!” his smile grew and Johannah could see this strange look in his eye.  
  
“Oh! You’ve met Prince Harry already? This is perfect! We’ll go tell Anne now!” She stood up and was ready to go up the stairs until Louis grabbed her wrist and stopped her.  
  
“I didn’t say it was Harry, Mum. I said that I’ve met the man I’m going to marry but it’s not Harry. I don’t know who he was but he’s a peasant boy and-“  
  
“Peasant boy?!” Johannah was floored. “Peasant… you’re going to marry a… No,” she started laughing, “Louis, dear, you have to be joking.”  
  
But he wasn’t. She could easily see that he wasn’t.  _This won’t do._  “No, Louis! You can’t do this. You’re just gonna throw away the throne, the kingdom, everything for some nobody? I won’t have it! You’re a  _prince_  and you will marry royalty!”  
  
Louis put a hand on her shoulder and laughed. “Mother, you’re living in this past. This is the 14th century! Times have changed!”  
  
“I don’t care! I’m the queen and I command you to come to your senses-“  
  
“And marry the man I love!”  
  
“Yes! Wait- No! Louis!”  
  
Louis climbed atop of Max as he bid a quick goodbye to Johannah and took off.  
  
She couldn’t believe her son was acting like this. This was  _not_  how she raised him! He can’t marry a peasant girl! He’s already engaged to be married and- shit. Anne and Robin. Oh god. Johannah completely forgot. How will she tell them? The wedding was supposed to be after Harry’s arrival tonight! And now…  
“What’s a queen to do?” she sighed.  
  
~  
  
Not a word was said the whole walk to the castle.  
  
Edwa- Harry was dressed in his birthday outfit and a cloak to hide his identity. He’s done nothing but look down at his feet as they walked to his new home.  
How did it end up like this? Everything was so perfect today and now it’s just gone to hell. His whole life’s been a lie, he can’t be with the man he loves who’s probably at the cottage right now expecting Harry to be there, and now Liam, Niall, and Zayn are fairies. That’s the cherry on top of the birthday cake.  
  
“This way,” Liam instructed.  
  
They entered a stairwell and at the top, Harry assumed, was his bedroom. It was  _massive._ Windows mainly took up the walls, there was a balcony, a fireplace, a huge bed with tons of pillows…  _This must be what royalty looks like_ , he thinks,  _but right now it just sucks._  
  
“Zayn, shut the door. Niall, pull the curtains,” ordered Liam. He guided Harry to mirror set and sat him down. “We have one last gift for you, love,” he said with a smile small. The three of them waved their wands and a small silver crown appeared. “A symbol of your royalty.” He gently set it on Harry’s head, adjusted it so it rested perfectly against his messy curls.  
  
Harry turned around and looked at his reflection. His face is the same, but this is not who he is. This crown on his head… He’s not royalty. He doesn’t want to be. His lips started quivering, so he folded his arms on the mirror set, put his head down and let out a sob.  
  
“Harry, dear-“ Niall soothingly put a hand on Harry’s shoulder.  
  
“Can you p-please just go?” Harry said through muffled cries.  
  
Liam grabbed Niall’s sleeve and whispered, “Let’s just leave him alone for a few moments.”  
  
As they were on the other side of the door, Zayn just shook his head. “It’s that boy he met.”  
  
Niall put his head in his hands. “What are we going to do?”  
  
“There’s nothing we can do.”  
  
Zayn let out a groan. “I don’t see why he has to marry some prince!”  
  
“But we don’t get to decide, Zaynie.”  
  
~  
  
_Harry._  
  
His cries stop. “What?”  
  
_Come here, Harry._  
  
He slowly lifts up his head and sees a small green light near the fireplace.  
  
_Harry._  
  
He doesn’t know what his body is doing but he stands up and heads toward the light. Is that music? What does this light want?  
  
_I have a gift for you, Harry. But you have to stay quiet. Can you do that for me?_  
  
He nods. He feels like he’s asleep.  
  
_Follow me, your Highness._  
  
~  
  
“Maybe we should tell King Robin about the boy,” Niall suggested.  
  
“Yeah, why don’t we?” Zayn asks.  
  
“Wait! Listen,” Liam freezes. Is that… music? It sounds… eerie… and coming from Harry’s room… He gasps. “Eleanor! Harry!”  
  
They burst the door open in time enough to see Harry following a green light into a hallway that was the fireplace. “Harry no!” they yelled. They got closer but Eleanor turned the fireplace back. “No! Harry!” Liam pulled out his wand and poofed it back into the hallway.  
  
“Harry!”  “Where are you!” The three of them ran up and down the hallway and found a staircase that could lead to anywhere and if they don’t hurry then…  
  
“Harry! Don’t touch anything!”  
  
~  
  
The green light led Harry into a small room at the top of the staircase.  
  
_Here’s your gift, Harry._  
  
The green light turned into a spinning wheel. Harry cocked his head. Why is his arm reaching out? It’s just a spinning wheel.  
  
_Touch the spindle._  
  
He flinched his arm back just before he got too close. It looks sharp but so… tempting?  
  
_Touch it, I say!_  
  
Harry stretched his arm out again and finally laid his finger on the sharp end of the spindle.  
  
~  
  
The fairies finally reached the room at the top of the staircase and froze when they saw the face of evil herself.  
  
“You poor fools,” Eleanor’s purple lips were pulled into a pout in mock sadness. Then she chuckled. “Thinking you can defeat me?  _Me?_  The mistress of all evil? Well, my job is done. Here’s your precious prince!” She pulled back her cloak and revealed Harry face-down on the stone floor, not moving. Eleanor disappeared, her sinister laugh echoing throughout the room.  
  
The three fairies rushed over to Harry and flipped him over onto his back. His dark eyelashes fanned over his cheeks, his face was pink from crying earlier, and he still looks beautiful.  
  
“I’ll never forgive myself,” Liam whispered as he started to cry.  
  
“We’re all to blame, Li,” Zayn’s voice cracked.  
  
They picked up Harry and carried him back to the bedroom, where they laid him on his bed and perfected him. They folded his arms, covered him with a quilt, and tried to hold their sobs in. Sure, Zayn had put a sleeping spell on Harry at his christening, but the whole true love’s kiss is out the window since they’ll never know who the boy was and have no way of finding him.  
  
They’re screwed.  
  
“Ladies and gentlemen, the sun has set! Be ready to welcome your prince!”  
  
They heard the crowd cheering from outside and it just made them feel guiltier.  
  
Niall fixed a curl on Harry’s forehead and just shook his head. “Poor King Robin and the queen.”  
  
“They’ll be heartbroken when they find out,” Zayn said.  
  
Liam took a quick glance at the balcony and looked back at the boys. “They’re not going to.”  
  
“What do you mean?”  
  
“We’ll put the sleeping spell on all of them until we find a way for Harry to awaken.”  
  
In a flash, they made themselves smaller and spread sleeping dust and magic all over the kingdom. Guards, the royal court, the villagers, everyone falling into a deep sleep.  
  
Liam was putting Anne and Robin, who had been anxiously waiting for their son’s arrival, to sleep on their thrones when she heard Queen Johannah (before dozing out) say, “Anne, I’ve been talking to Louis. Seems he’s fallen in love with,” yawn, “a peasant boy…”  
  
Liam froze. “Peasant boy?” He quickly flew to Johannah. “Yes? Continue! Please!” Johannah began to snore. Liam groaned. “The peasant boy!” he said louder. “Who is he? Where did Louis meet him?”  
  
“Just a… peasant boy…” Johannah mumbled.  
  
“Where!”  
  
“In a… a dream of his…”  
  
_In a dream? That’s all you have?!_  “A dream.” Liam repeated flatly. He floated away from the royals as he repeated the word to himself.  
  
_“You met… a stranger?”_  
  
_“Yes but I feel like he’s the one who’s been in the dreams I’ve told you about.”_  
Liam gasped. “That’s it! Harry and Louis! That’s it! Louis will break the spell and…” That’s when he remembered that Louis’ been the boy this whole time. Harry told him to come to the cottage…  
  
“ _He’s coming here tonight! I promised to meet him!”_  
  
“Shit!”  
  
He quickly flew outside to find Zayn and Niall waiting for him.  
  
“What’s wrong with you?” Zayn asked.  
  
“I’ll explain along the way! We have to go to the cottage now!”  
  
~  
  
  
“Wish me luck, Max,” Louis said as he got off his horse. He smoothed out his clothing and let out a breath.  _You can do this, Tomlinson._  He knocked on the door and waited.  
  
“Come in,” he heard a soft voice.  
  
He opened the door with a smile on his face.  _Success._  
It was dark inside the house and… oddly quiet. Suddenly he felt ropes tighten around him and he fell to the floor. He kicked and hit whoever was climbing on top of him but there was too many of them and it was dark, he can’t see, they’re laughing and yelling. A cloth is being put on his mouth. He’s stuck. He can’t fight anymore. Then he sees a woman with purple lips and brown hair pulled back holding a candle. She has an evil smile and she’s chuckling as she holds the candle up to his face.  
  
“Well,” her voice sends chills up Louis’ back, “this is a pleasant surprise. I set my trap for a peasant boy and look: I catch a prince! Away with him,” she orders the guards. “But gently. I have plans for our royal guest.” She laughs darkly and Louis is being pushed out the door, helpless.  
  
~  
  
The fairies arrive at the cottage and see that everything looks just how they left it.  
  
“It doesn’t look like anyone’s come here,” Zayn says as he uses his wand as a light.  
  
“Uh… lads.”  
  
They turn to find Liam picking up a red cloak off the floor.  
  
“Is that…” Niall starts even though he knows the answer.  
  
“It has the stitching on it.” Liam shows the bottom of the cloak where a tiny LT is stitched at the corner. “He was here.”  
  
“But why would he…” Then they realized.  
  
“Eleanor.”  
  
“She got him,” Zayn confirms.  
  
  
Liam goes wide-eyed. “The Forbidden Mountains.”  
  
Niall gasps and shakes his head frantically. “No. Li, we can’t… We can’t go there.”  
  
“We can and we  _must_. Think of Harry right now.”  
  
Zayn nods. “We have to. Who knows what she’ll do to Louis?”  
  
“There’s not much time left, c’mon!” Liam demands as he makes himself fairy size. He will  _not_  lose their only hope to save Harry.  
  
~  
  
They know they’re near Eleanor’s castle when it starts to become foggy and dull colored, like the sun hasn’t risen in years.  
  
They see the stone castle at the top of the mountain and they fly quicker. They dodge a guard that’s walking up and down the bridge and they enter the castle through a moldy gargoyle’s mouth.  
  
When they move out through a crack of a stone wall, they realize they’re right next to Eleanor sitting on her throne, watching her guards dance and cheer around a bonfire. They move inside the crack a bit more, making sure she doesn’t see them, and Liam signals the two fairies to be quiet.  
  
“It’s quite sad that Prince Louis couldn’t be here to enjoy the celebration,” she says to her crow. She chuckles as she gets up. “Come, my pet. Let’s go down to the dungeon and cheer him up.”  
  
When it’s clear, the fairies follow her down a dark hallway and hide behind any surface they can find.  
  
Eleanor pulls out a key from her sleeve and opens a door at the bottom of a staircase. There’s a small window in the door and the fairies look inside.  
Louis.  
  
Louis is sitting on a bench, wrists and ankles in chains, and he looks miserable.  
  
“Oh come now, Prince Louis,” Eleanor says soothingly. “Why so glum? A great future lies before you! You’re the destined hero of a beautiful fairytale come true!” She waves her hand around the glass ball at the top of her cane and holds it out to Louis. “Now, I’m going to tell you a story. Behold: King Robin’s castle and up in the tower, dreaming of his true love, is Prince Harry.” She shows him Harry, asleep in his bed back at the castle. “But wait… do my eyes deceive me? Why, it’s the peasant boy! Who won the heart of our noble prince just today! He is indeed most beautiful, Louis. You picked a good one. Chestnut brown curls, lips as red as the rose, perfect pink cheeks… An ageless sleep. But the years roll by, a hundred years in fact, and now the gates of the dungeon part and our prince is free to go his way!” Green smoke fills the orb and Louis sees a picture of him and Max. They’re grey, Louis’ hunched over and he has a long beard. Eleanor continues, “Off he rides, on his noble stead, brave and true, to wake his love with love’s first  _kiss_ and prove that ‘true love’ conquers all!” She ends with a cackle.  
  
Louis gets up as if to attack her but the chains hold him back. “I have done  _nothing_  to you!”  
  
“No, you haven’t,” Eleanor says with a smile. “But this just makes everything all the more fun.” She turns to the crow and holds out her hand. “Come, my pet. Let’s leave our royal guest to his happy thoughts. For the first time in eighteen years, I’ll actually sleep well.” She leaves and locks the door.  
  
The fairies wait until she’s out of sight to enter through the small window of the dungeon. Louis’ sat back down with his head in his hands.  
  
“Prince Louis?” Liam whispers. Louis looks up and looks relieved but then confused. “Shhh, there’s no time to explain just yet.” He points his wand at Louis’ wrist cuffs, Niall doing the same with his ankles, and they cut through the chains. Zayn was cutting through the door lock.  
  
“Thank you,” Louis whispered as he rubbed his wrists.  
  
“Wait, Louis,” Liam warns him. “It’s going to be hell getting out of here and there are many dangers on the road to true love which you will have to face. So we will give you this shield,” poof, “and this sword”, poof, “I sure hope you’ve learned your sword fighting skills.”  
  
Louis smiles. “Of course I have. I had to do something in my spare time for eighteen years.”  
  
Niall covers his mouth while he laughs.  
  
“Alright, now come. We must hurry,” Liam says.  
  
They leave the room, but as they turn, there’s Eleanor’s crow. It squawks and flies up the stairs.  
  
“Oh, shit,” Zayn mumbles.  
  
“This way!” Louis leads them to a different staircase but guards, weapons in hand, have already found their way to them. They run after them until Louis gets on a window ledge and fights some of them. He guards himself as he swings and slashes and hits their weapons away. He jumps from the window and lands rather hard on a dirt pile.  
  
“Louis, watch out!”  
  
He looks up and sees guards at the top of a bridge knocking over big rocks. Niall gets his wand, points and aims, as the magic turns the rocks into bubbles just before they land on top of Louis.  
  
He gets up and he runs and he can see Max chained up near the entryway. The horse whinnies at the sight of his owner and hops up and down.  
  
“Louis!”  
  
He turns and sees arrows coming towards him and the fairies, so he gets behind his shield. Liam aims his wand and turns the arrows into feathers.  
When he reaches Max, Niall has already unchained him, so he hops onto the horse’s back and they run off, fairies in tow.  
Zayn hears the crow, squawking like a mad man, so he points his wand at the damn bird. He misses. He tries again and the bird’s fast. He gets frustrated and goes after it. “You annoying piece of shit,” he mumbles.  
  
He and the bird are circling around a tower until Zayn finally hides behind the wall and waits for the right moment. The crow comes back and Zayn quickly points and  
finally gets him. The bird is now a gargoyle and he is  _silent_. Zayn smiles at his work and quickly hurries back to Prince Louis and the fairies.  
  
The guards are drawing the bridge closed and Louis urges Max to speed up and jump and they  _just_  make it. Louis turns around to see if the fairies are alright, but then he sees Eleanor at the top of the tower. “Shit!”  
  
“Just hurry!” Liam yells. “Hurry, Louis!”  
  
Thunder rolls and Eleanor sends lightning strikes. She tries to break everything in their path so they’ll be stopped, but they’re too quick and those damn fairies are smart. They’re almost to the castle and she thinks of the perfect spell.  
  
“A forest of thorns shall be his tomb! Born with the skies on a fog of doom! Now go with the curse and serve me well! Around Robin’s castle, cast my spell!”  
  
Dark clouds travel to the castle and lightning bolts strike all around. Thorn trees start to grow between the real forest and the castle.  
Louis tries his best to swing his sword everywhere and break every branch and it really fucking hurts. At least when he has kids, he’ll have scars to tell them how he saved the love of his life. And it’s so worth it.  
  
The fairies look a bit ahead and see that they’re closer to the castle. Just as they’re about to cross the bridge, Eleanor appears.  
  
“Now you shall deal with me, young prince and all the powers of hell!”  
  
Thunder claps and Louis watches as Eleanor transforms herself into a huge, black and purple, fire breathing dragon.  
  
_Okay now I’m scared_. But he makes do. He hops off Max and charges but clearly this beast sends fire and it obviously knocks Louis down on his arse. It is a live and breathing dragon after all.  
  
He runs into the thorn forest and Liam leads him to a cliff to a climb so he can be eye to eye with Eleanor and maybe get her in the mouth.  _That’d be great._  By now she has the whole ground beneath them on fire and Louis’ just at the edge of the cliff. The dragon sends a strike of fire and it knocks Louis’ shield off the ledge and down below.  
  
“Fuck,” he mutters. He looks to the fairies for help, but they’re already on it. They sprinkle his sword with fairy dust and Zayn yells at him to throw it.  
He gets Eleanor right in the chest. She roars in pain and is crashing down right at Louis. He jumps out of the way as Eleanor falls down, down, down and a good part of the cliff coming with her.  
  
Everything goes smoky and black.  
  
~  
  
“Oh! I think he’s waking up!”  
  
“Prince Louis?”  
  
Louis blinks awake and sees the fairies standing over him. “Oh God.”  
  
“You okay?” Zayn asks.  
  
“Yeah. How long was I out?”  
  
“Just a few minutes,” Liam answers.  
  
He sits up, feeling a bit sore, and rubs his hands over his face. “So… Prince Harry was the peasant boy I met?”  
  
They nod.  
  
“And you three took him away because of Eleanor?”  
  
“Raised him as if he was our own,” Niall responds, sitting down in front of him.  
  
Louis takes some time to digest this. He finds it quite funny. “I guess this is… fate? I mean, I know we were already betrothed to start with but like… It’s like I was meant to find him in the forest that day. I’m probably not making any sense at all-“  
  
“No, no! It’s not crazy.”  
  
“It’s actually very sweet.”  
  
Liam puts his hand on Louis’ shoulder. “You’ve waited for him for  _eighteen years._  Now he’s up in that tower waiting for you.”  
  
~  
  
He’s rushing. Of course he is! He can finally be with Harry. He wants to see him and finally hold him again. He follows the fairies up the staircase and once he enters the bedroom, he freezes.  
  
He’s just as beautiful as the first time Louis saw him, maybe even more. His curls are fanned out across the pillows, his red lips are in a pout, and he looks so peaceful and gorgeous and Louis can’t believe that when he awakens, Harry will be officially be his.  
  
He sits down at the edge of the bed right next to Harry and gently combs his fingers through his soft, brown hair. He slowly leans down and his lips gently fold over the young prince’s. He feels a shock that causes him to pull back and then green eyes flutter open.  
  
“It’s you,” Harry whispers.  
  
Louis smiles. “Yeah. It’s uh, it’s you, too.”  
  
“You’ve been in my dreams and now you’re here,” says Harry, like he can’t believe it. “You’re the prince I met in the forest?”  
  
Louis can’t help but laugh at the look on Harry’s face. “I know, it sounds a bit confusing, love. But I think… I think it was meant that way. Does that make more sense?”  
  
Harry nods against the pillows. He then smiles and grabs hold of Louis’ warm hands. “Do you think we could maybe have a do-over? Because that’s not exactly how I imagined our first kiss would be.”  
  
Louis pulls his bottom lip with his teeth, trying so hard not to smile like an imbecile. He can’t believe this boy. “Yeah, I think we can.”  
  
“Good,” Harry whispers as he interlocks his hand with the Prince of Doncaster. “Hello, I’m Prince Harry.”  
  
“And I’m Prince Louis. It is an honor to finally meet you, Your Highness.”  
  
Harry chuckles and uses his other hand to bring Louis down to him, sealing their lips together.  
  
~  
  
“Are you ready to meet mum and dad?”  
  
Harry looks up at his… his  _fiancé_  and says, “Well, I am a bit nervous. I don’t even know what they look like!”  
  
“Um… well, they’ll be the ones wearing really nice clothing, maybe have a crown on their heads like you-“  
  
“Well, of course, you idiot!” He smacks Louis in the arm. “It’s just… what if I’m not what they’ve expected?”  
  
“Harry, babe, they’ll love you just as much as I do. They’d be ill in the head if they don’t. You’re beautiful, kind, incredibly charming, and I’m pretty sure you can win them over if you sing because you have a gorgeous voice.”  
  
“You really think so?” Harry asks, looking at Louis through his lashes.  
  
“I know so,” Louis confirms, and he reaches up to kiss Harry on the forehead. “Now, they’ve been waiting for you for a long time. Do you want to keep them waiting?”  
  
Just then, they heard the horns and the music starting. Louis held out his arm and Harry smiled as he took it and they made their way down the grand staircase.  
  
This is… okay.  
  
He can see the people looking at them in awe and it causes him to look down at his feet and blush. He can see three people at the throne in royal wear just like him. “Is that…” he whispers.  
  
“That’s them,” Louis answers.  
  
One of them he automatically knows is Louis’ mother. She’s just as beautiful as him with lovely long brown hair and wearing a red dress to match Louis’ red cape. When he sees the other two people, it’s just shock that  _they_  are his parents. They’re beautiful, too. And they’re smiling at him? The woman (Anne, he remembers) looks like she has tears in her eyes. Harry guesses this is where he got his sensitivity from.  
  
They’re now in front of them and Harry remembers from his books that he must bow in front of royalty. So they do and his… mother… is approaching him and gathers him into a hug.  
  
“I’ve missed you so much,” Anne says against his hair.  
  
Harry lets out a sigh of relief and hugs her back. “I could say the same.” She laughs against him and kisses him on the temple. His father joins in on the hug and it just looks like the perfect reunion.  
  
He turns around and sees Louis smiling fondly at them. “He’s beautiful, isn’t he… Mum?” he asks. Harry kind of just wants to sit down and admire him.  
  
“He’s very beautiful, Harry. You  _both_  are beautiful.” But that answer didn’t come from Anne.  
  
It came from Liam, Zayn, and Niall. The three men that have taken care of and protected Harry for all these years. He starts toward them, his lip quivering because damn it this is an emotional day, and he gets them all into a group hug.  
  
“Thank you for everything,” he says through his tears.  
  
They hear a cough and they pull apart. “I apologize for breaking up this reunion, but would it be okay if I danced with my fiancé?” Louis asks with a charming smile.  
  
Harry blushes and he turns back to the boys, unsure what to do, but they smile back.  
  
“Just go! We’ve had enough of you already!” Zayn says, giving him a light shove.  
  
“Eighteen long years!” Liam exclaimed.  
  
He turns to leave and he hears Niall sob, “I just love happy endings.”  
  
Harry laughs as he turns to his prince and happily takes his hand. Their hands link together, Louis’ other hand is on his waist, Harry’s hand is on Louis’ shoulder, and then they move together. They’re so in step and in tune with each other that everyone around them watching just disappears. They’re in their own little world and all they can think about is that they’re finally together after what they thought would separate them forever.  
  
“Hey,” Louis says, “don’t ever leave me for eighteen years again, please.”  
  
Harry smirks as he bends his head down a bit to give Louis a small kiss. “Deal,” he says against his lips, pulling him closer as he kisses him again and again.  
  
And they lived happily ever after.

****

**_THE END_ **


End file.
